Harvest of Death - A Matt Houston Story
by boswifedeb
Summary: Friends asking for favors are a part of life for everyone, including Matt Houston. When he's asked to have "the talk" with his best friend's youngest son that seems difficult enough, but when a childhood friend reaches out for help, it could be a killer favor. Rated T. **Immediately follows "Hogtied".** Borrowing the characters for fun once more.
1. Chapter 1

"**Harvest of Death"**

****This story immediately follows "Hogtied"****

"**Killing is not so easy as the innocent believe."**

― **J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince**

**CHAPTER 1**

"Matt, she's a big girl now." CJ looked over at her husband who had a worried expression on his face.

"I know."

"You know they love each other. Look at the two of them."

"Yep."

"She's not a baby anymore."

"I know." He leaned on the fence and looked down at his boots.

"I understand why you're worried, sweetie." She rubbed his back. "Matt, she's going to run off to be with him – why not just give them your blessing?"

Matt sighed and walked out into the pasture. "Come here, baby girl." Cricket came to him and he scratched her jaw and laid his head on hers. "Are you sure about this?" The horse nickered and nuzzled at him. "Okay. Stay right here, understand?" She whinnied as Matt turned and went to the gate that connected the two pastures. "Jasper…" He called the stallion over and he instantly obeyed - something that wouldn't have happened a month ago. The stallion had been rescued from his previous owner when it was found that the man was starving the animals. Several of the other horses had been put down. Jasper had been hard to handle until he was put into the pasture next to Cricket. Now after four weeks, he had calmed down and was well-behaved. Before opening the gate he stroked the horses jaw. "Boy, you better be good to her…or else. You understand?" The horse put his head on Matt's shoulder. "Come on." He opened the gate and led him into the pasture. Cricket's ears perked up and she whinnied at Jasper as he nickered softly. "I mean it, boy – you better be nice." He turned loose of the stallion and closed the gate and went back over by the fence where he and CJ had been standing. The two horses nuzzled each other and within a few minutes, Cricket and Jasper were mated.

"Well…" Matt climbed back over the fence, watching as the mare that he had saved with a Caesarian section when her mother was killed now stood with her mate. "Maybe…" He looked back down at his boots and over at CJ. "Maybe if it's a filly she can be Catey's."

His wife put her arm around him. "I think that would be great. You know, Jasper has calmed down a lot since he came here – and I think your little girl right there is the reason. I swear those two are in love."

"I was worried he would…you know." Matt actually blushed. "Might be rough on her." He looked back up. "I think maybe you're right about the two of them." He pulled out his phone and did some calculations. "Should be right around the end of August." Nodding, he wrapped an arm around CJ. "That's a good time for foaling I guess."

"She'll be fine, baby."

"I hope so. She's like her mama was - and her daddy for that matter. They were the two smartest horses I ever had until Cricket came along." They walked hand in hand back up to the house.

**LATER THAT EVENING…**

"And you're asking me?" Matt was absolutely astounded. "Vince, you've got three other boys; who told them?"

"I did. But I'm not going to be there – there's no way I can with the installations, and I sure don't want to do it over the phone. Besides, I'm actually helping you out: you're going to have to explain it one day to your kids." Vince was wishing he could see the expression on Matt's face at that moment.

"Well…CJ would be the one to talk to Catey, I mean…ya know." He thought for a minute. "Of course if we have any boys I guess…oh, boy." Houston had been completely blindsided by the request from his best friend, Vince Novelli. Since the former cop turned restaurateur was helping Matt's Uncle Roy along with his cousin Will install security systems in a chain of jewelry stores, he had been away from his home in Hawaii for several weeks. Vince wanted Matt to have a talk about the birds and the bees with his youngest son Tony. Matt and Tony had been best buds ever since they had met almost five years earlier. "Okay, uh, you said he's about to start fall break at school, right?" Matt was trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject.

"Yeah, he's out as of today." Vince hated to ask, but he and Matt were as close as brothers and he knew how much Tony loved the man.

"Alright here's my idea: I've got to go to Texas this week and check on the calving. That would be a good way for him to learn it. Is that okay with you?"

"That sounds like a great idea. He's wanted to go there anyway. I think that should work just fine."

"And I already promised he could come down and learn how to herd. Okay, I think I can do this." He was feeling a little better about the deal.

"Thanks Ace, I really appreciate it. I'll call Isabella and let her know you'll be there tomorrow." Vince was relieved.

"Okay, well you try to keep Uncle Roy out of trouble for me. I'll talk to you tomorrow. 'Bye." Matt hung up the phone and just looked at it for a second. CJ had been sitting across the table from him on the patio and had figured out from Matt's end of the conversation what was going on. She smiled slyly. Her husband put his phone on the table and looked up at her. "What?"

"Nothing." CJ gave a big grin and started chuckling, which turned into full blown laughter.

Matt gave her a raised eyebrow and nodded his head. "I think you're forgetting something, Mrs. Houston."

"Oh, what's that?" She was still snickering.

"Well after I tell Tony the way of the world, I'll be one up on you: you'll still have to tell Catey when the time rolls around." He was the one smiling and snickering now as CJ got a slightly shocked look on her face. "Uh huh, make fun of me all you want. It's gonna come back and bite you in the butt." Matt sat there grinning for a minute. "And maybe you haven't considered it just yet, but what if we don't have any sons – just daughters?" Her face really did change then. Matt burst into laughter.

"Oh hush." She got up and walked around the table and sat down in his lap. "So do you need a little refresher course before you start teaching, Professor Houston?" She leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"You know what they say – it's never too late to learn." He kissed her back and they sat there together watching the stars for a few minutes before heading into the house and checking on Catey Rose before going to bed.

Early the next morning, Matt and CJ packed for the trip to Texas. They had planned on leaving that afternoon to head down, but now that they had to make a run to Hawaii to pick up Tony, they needed to head out earlier. This would be Catey's first trip on the jet and CJ made sure to bring plenty of toys along to keep the five month old entertained. Lamar, one of Matt's ranch hands, drove them to the airport and helped to get the luggage loaded then waved goodbye as the family set off on their trip. Matt was alone in the cockpit as he took off: CJ had Catey in her car seat securely fastened in the passenger area. Once they were airborne, she brought the baby up to the cockpit. She reached for the yoke and CJ turned in her seat where the baby wouldn't be able to touch it. Matt laughed. "I don't think you're quite tall enough to drive this yet, Sweet Pea. Let's give it a few more years."

While he and CJ talked and Catey put in her two cents worth on occasion, the trip passed by uneventfully and before they knew it the five hour flight was over. As they taxied up to the hangar, Matt could see Isabella waiting with Tony. After shutting down the engines, Matt and CJ stepped off of the plane and the ten year old intercepted them before they got more than a couple of steps toward the hangar. "Houston! CJ! You're finally here! And you've got a beard!" Tony leapt up into Matt's arms, giving him a big hug and then leaned over to give his Aunt CJ a kiss. "WOW! Catey you're getting really big!" He reached over to squeeze the baby's hand and she squealed with delight.

Matt set the boy down on the ground. "I've got to see about getting some fuel in this plane. Want to help?"

"Sure." Tony walked along with Matt as he headed over to talk to Isabella for a minute, giving her a hug. Vince's wife took Catey and was treated to a slobbery baby kiss.

"If you ladies will excuse us we've gotta go see about some fuel." He popped Tony on the back of the head. "C'mon pard, we've got work to do." As they headed over to the office to arrange the refueling, CJ and Isabella watched the pair.

"I really appreciate Matt doing this. Vince just thought it would be better coming from a guy, you know how that goes." Isabella spoke as she and CJ walked back toward the jet.

"It'll be good training. Maybe one of these days we'll have a boy." She smiled over at Isabella.

A few minutes later, Matt and Tony returned and boarded the jet. "Hey CJ, where'd you put that package for Tony?"

"It's in the closet." She nodded toward the back of the plane and Matt and the boy headed that way.

Matt reached up on the shelf and pulled down a box and handed it to the boy. "This was going to be a Christmas present, but I think you'll need it this week." He grinned over at CJ and Isabella as the boy tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a white straw cowboy hat – that was exactly like the one that Matt was wearing.

"WOW! Thanks!" He put it on and turned to his mom. "How does it look?"

"Looks like you're ready to go to work for your Uncle Matt." She gave him a big smile.

"Let's go out and keep an eye on the refueling, whatcha say, Bud?" Matt patted the boy on the back and they stepped out of the plane.

"I'll be sure to get plenty of pictures this week. I know he'll want to show them to everybody." CJ grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

After the five hour trip back to Los Angeles, Matt had the plane refueled again while he and the others got some dinner and then they headed down to Houston, Texas where they were met at the airport by Marty Hoffmann. Matt had made Marty the foreman of the ranch and things had been running along smoothly with the help of Marty's younger brother Pat and former rodeo clown Ollie Burckhardt. Ollie had saved Matt's life several years back when he had gotten hung up on a bull while riding in a rodeo. Matt introduced Tony and Marty as they put the luggage in the back of the truck. As the two men talked about how the calving was going, young Tony was looking all around him. He had never been to Texas before and was excited.

When they got to the ranch, Tony's eyes got wide. "Houston, this place is like a castle or something! Wow!" He couldn't believe how big the house was. Matt just laughed as they pulled on around to the back and got out. Madre Rosa, the housekeeper who had helped Bill Houston to raise Matt from the age of five was standing on the back deck waiting for them. Tony was helping Matt and Marty with the luggage as CJ took Catey and the diaper bag and headed up the back steps where the housekeeper took the baby into her arms and was treated to a slobbery kiss. Catey seemed to love everybody and had yet to meet a stranger. As Tony came up the steps Matt introduced him to Madre Rosa and then they went on inside. Matt, Marty, and Tony took the luggage up as CJ and Madre Rosa caught up on all the latest news.

Tony was amazed by how big the house was. When Matt showed him to the room he would be using the boy's mouth dropped open. Inside the room was a king size bed. "Wow!" He couldn't believe how big it was.

Matt showed him where Catey's nursery was and where he and CJ would be sleeping. "Just in case." He winked at Tony. The pair then went downstairs and Matt led him down to the barn. "We've got a little bit of work to do down here tonight." He led the way back to the tack room. "Somebody needs to get a saddle adjusted so they can use it tomorrow." Tony smiled.

After putting the saddle on a stand, Matt swung the boy up onto it and they adjusted the stirrups to just the right length. As he helped the boy back down, Matt ruffled his hair. "You know, you're trying to get big on me, Tony."

Tony smiled up at Matt. "I want to be as tall as you are."

"Well your dad's about as tall as me. Close enough." He smiled down at the boy. "Let's go out here and take a look at these horses." They walked out and sat up on the top of the fence to the pasture and all of the horses came over, competing against each other for attention. As they pet on the animals Matt looked at Tony out of the corner of his eye. "I want to ask you something, Pard."

"Sure. What?" Tony looked up at Matt.

"Do you know why your dad wanted you to come down here for a visit?" He looked over at Tony, who nodded and looked back at the horses.

"Kinda." He didn't say anything for a minute and neither did Matt. "I've been asking a lot of questions lately. Mom wanted me to talk to dad but since he's working with Uncle Roy…" He shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't have asked."

"And why not? You've got just as much right to know about life as anybody else doncha?" Matt turned and faced the boy.

"I guess so." He watched the horses. "I just feel weird talking to anybody about it. Kinda nervous." He shot Matt a concerned look.

"Wanna know a secret?" Matt looked around to make sure no one else could hear the two of them.

"What?"

"I'm a little nervous about telling you." He grinned. "You know, I've never had to explain it before. Guess that makes us even in that department, huh?" Tony smiled and nodded. "Tell you what: you and I are partners and best buds, right?" The boy nodded again. "How about we help each other out with this. Deal?"

"Deal." The pair shook hands.

"Alright. I'm gonna give you a crash course so when you see a cow calving tomorrow you won't freak out on me. Sound good?"

"Okay." They sat down on the fence talking for a couple of hours while CJ watched from the window of the den, smiling. When they came back up to the house they were cutting up, boxing each other with Matt ending up down on the floor begging for mercy while the ladies of the house laughed at the pair. Tony went upstairs for a bath and Matt sat down in the recliner giving Catey her last bottle of the night.

"So how did it go?" CJ watched as her husband put a very sleepy Catey up on his shoulder, gently rubbing her back and she let out with a little burp while in the midst of a sleepy round of babbling causing her dad to chuckle.

"Fine – I think he knew a lot more than Vince knew he did. But then that's usually the way it is – or it was with me." He looked over at CJ. "We had a deal to help each other out." Grinning he stood up with Catey and headed up to put her in her crib.

As Matt headed down the hall to the nursery, Tony came out of his bedroom. "Wanna help?" Tony nodded and followed him into the room. Catey was very sleepy and was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Tony helped Matt lay her down in the crib and gently rubbed her back like Matt showed him and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They left the room after switching the baby monitor on and headed back downstairs together.

"So what all will we be doing tomorrow?" Tony plopped down on the couch next to CJ who put her arm around his shoulders.

"Well, we're going to ride out to what we call pasture 18. We've got some cows that according to Marty will probably start calving tomorrow. We'll keep an eye on them and we've got some other calves to work. They need shots and tags. And the bull calves will uh…" Matt stopped and looked at CJ. "I'll explain that tomorrow." He was quiet for a minute then looked at his watch. "You better get some sleep. I'm planning on making you do some real work tomorrow, kid." Matt yawned. "As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to hit the shower and go to bed myself. Thirteen hours of flying makes for a long day." He got up and headed toward the stairs.

"Okay." Tony gave CJ a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. "'Night."

"Good night, Tony. Matt, I'll be up in a few minutes." She watched as the pair headed up the steps together, poking and playing all the way.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

After a big breakfast, Tony and Matt headed out with the rest of the cowboys. Tony, Matt, and Marty were riding horses while Pat and Ollie took a pickup and went to check on another part of the herd before coming over to pasture 18. As they rode out, Marty reached over and poked Tony in the ribs. "I heard you're one heck of a surfer."

"I'm pretty good." Tony smiled. Surfing and riding horses were his two favorite things to do.

"Well if I was to come over there for a visit, you think you could teach me?" Marty cut his eyes over at the boy.

"Can you swim?" Tony was dead serious.

"Sure can."

"Then I guess I could teach you." The boy looked over at Matt. "Dad told me that there wasn't much surfing around here."

"Well, it's kind of hit and miss. Certain times of the year down at Galveston can be alright, but not anything like Hawaii. I think you better teach him there." He grinned over at the boy.

"Did you know Houston can surf?" Tony looked over at Marty.

"No way, this clown?" He cracked up.

"I'll have you know I'm pretty doggone good, Marty. I go with Tony and his brothers every chance I get. Seems like when I'm at home I'm always working and can't get away." Houston was watching one of the cows that was off by herself. "Hey Tony, see that cow over there?" He pointed.

"Uh huh."

"I just betcha she's about to drop a calf. Now when we get closer, I need you to be real quiet and calm. Stay on your horse unless Marty or I tell you different, okay?"

"Okay." Tony was watching the cow. "She's off by herself. Is that how you know?"

"They usually like a little privacy when it's that time. Not always, but a lot of them do."

A short time later, Tony got to see his first calving. He grinned at Matt. "That's pretty cool. Kinda gross, but pretty cool." He was smiling from ear to ear.

"I think we've got a real cowboy in the making here, Houston." Marty smiled at Tony as they rode away and were checking other cows in the pasture.

When they got back to the house around noon, Matt had a phone call from Chuck Wylie, a deputy for the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Chuck and Matt had been friends since the age of five. CJ had run into him that morning while she and Catey were out running a couple of errands.

"Hey Chuck, how's it going?" Matt had been having a good time all morning working with the cows and teaching Tony the ropes.

"Not good, Houston. We've got a problem. I know you're busy with the herd, but we really need your help." Chuck sounded more serious that Matt had heard him in a while.

"What's wrong?" He took the phone and walked out of the kitchen onto the back deck.

"This morning a fourth victim was found in a garbage dumpster. Or I should say what was left of a fourth victim. Every time we find one there are parts missing." Chuck was sounding like he was at the end of his rope.

"Okay, who do I need to go talk to about it?" Matt turned and was looking at CJ through the sliding glass door.

"You're talking to him. I just got promoted to detective two weeks ago." Chuck sounded both proud and scared at the same time.

"Well congratulations, man! That's great. Of course it sucks that you're getting hit with something like this right now. Where do I need to be?" Matt had started into the kitchen and was pulling the door closed.

"Behind the strip mall out on Harwin Drive – it's in the 9500 block."

"Alright, let me change my shirt and I'll be there. 'Bye." Matt started up the stairs but CJ called him back, handing him a shirt. With a slightly puzzled look on his face, Matt stripped off the t-shirt he had been wearing that morning and put on the denim shirt. "How did you know?"

"Clue number one: Chuck called. Clue number two: you went out on the deck." She handed him a sandwich and a Fizzy Pop. "Be careful."

He grinned and took a bite out of the sandwich. "Thanks Babe, love you." Kissing her on the cheek he started out the door and then remembered Tony. He stopped and turned back to the boy. "Tony, you can go back out with the guys, but you have to mind them, understand? And I mean you do everything they tell you, got it?"

"Yes sir, I can do that." Tony grinned up at Matt.

"I know you can. Thanks Bud." He ruffled the hair on the back of the boy's head and took off out the door.

As the boy watched him go, he spoke to CJ. "So that happens to him when he's here, too?"

"Yep." She sat down with him. "Finish up, you've still got work to do, pard."

As Matt pulled up to the scene he spotted Chuck immediately. When he got to the familiar yellow tape he was stopped by a young deputy who turned and looked at the new detective. "Sir, is this him?"

Chuck nodded and smiled. "Yep - let him on in." The deputy held up the tape for Matt as he went under, giving him a somewhat curious look. Chuck shook hands with the private investigator as he strolled up. "I hope you've got a strong stomach."

"Yeah I do, too – CJ handed me a sandwich on my way out the door." He cracked up then stopped suddenly when he saw what was left of the body in the dumpster. "M.E. hasn't made it yet, huh?"

"Nope, we had three gangs get into a small war this morning. They're overloaded at the moment." Chuck walked away a few steps and Matt reached into his pocket for a pack of mints. He put one in his mouth, then handed the rest of the pack to Chuck. "What's this for? You trying to tell me I have bad breath?"

"I know you've worked crime scenes before – setting up a perimeter and such. But have you ever dealt with a body like this?" He nodded his head in the direction of the dumpster.

"No." Chuck looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well here's a little trick I learned from Vince Novelli." He tapped on the pack of mints. "Always keep some with you. Or a pack of menthol cough drops. And breathe through your mouth. The smell is a little easier to take." He patted his friend on the back. "Got any witnesses to anything?"

"Nope. Some poor slob who was dumpster diving found this one. He hurled over there." Chuck pointed to a puddle a little ways up the alley. "That's him in the patrol car."

"Have you talked to him?" Matt leaned against the SUV that Chuck was working out of, and looked toward the man.

"Just a little. I was trying to give him a chance to settle his stomach." They started walking back toward the car.

"Here's a hint: give him a mint. It'll help all of us." Matt grinned at Chuck who just shook his head.

"You ain't right, Houston. I was hoping CJ could straighten you out but I think you're hopeless."

"After over twenty years you've still got faith. That says a lot, Chuck." Houston chuckled as they got to the patrol car.

"Mr. Inverness, this is Matt Houston. He's a consultant to the department – well sort of." He gave Matt a grin.

"Well Mr. Houston, I sure hope you're having a better day than I am. Got the shock of my life when I lifted the lid on that dumpster. That one is usually pretty productive. I've gotten some really good carpet out of there on a few occasions – enough to re-cover the floors in my house." He shook his head. "Last time I go diving here." Chuck handed him a mint. "Thanks."

"What time did you get here, Mr. Inverness?" Matt had pulled a notebook out of his back pocket and was taking notes.

"About 9:45. Would have been here earlier but my wife's car took a dump and I had to take her to work."

"Okay, did you see anybody around back here when you pulled up?" Houston was looking around the alley trying to see if there were any security cameras and there was only one: it was over the door of the carpet store and was pointing almost directly down so that the employees would be able to see who was knocking on the door without having to open it.

"No, not a soul – except for that poor person in the dumpster. I couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman." Inverness shivered. "How in the hell can people do stuff like that to each other?"

"I don't know, but they sure do. Do you remember when the last time was that you came through here looking for stuff?" Matt had leaned over on the door of the patrol car.

"Sure do. I'm through here once a week - every Thursday to be exact. The only thing different today is that I was running late like I said."

"Do you ever see anyone hanging around back here?"

"No, it's usually pretty quiet. There's a delivery truck occasionally, either here or at the Chinese restaurant up the way there." Inverness pointed toward the north end of the alley.

"Well sir, I hate that you had such a shock this morning." Matt held out his hand and shook with the man and handed him one of his cards as did Chuck. "If you think of anything just call one of us, okay?"

"I'll do it."

"Thanks for your time." Chuck had already gotten the man's personal information and gave it to Matt when they got back to the SUV. The M.E.'s van had just pulled up and a tired looking assistant got out and walked over to talk to Chuck.

"Congrats on the promotion." The two shook hands. "Who's your friend here?" He looked at Matt.

"I've known this yahoo since we were five years old. Went all the way through school with him and I'm here to tell you he ain't no saner now than he was at five." All three men laughed and then the new detective introduced the two men. "Houston this is Mike Jimenez, Mike this is Matt Houston."

"So you're THE Matt Houston?" The M.E.'s assistant was amazed.

"I guess so, that's what they've been calling me for – well, we won't get into the age thing." He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Of course Chuck here is just as ancient so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad – besides I look a lot better than he does." Matt and Jimenez shook hands.

The detective popped Matt on the back of the head. "I'm gonna tell CJ on you." Both men grinned.

"Det. Littlebear was telling me about you a month or so ago." The assistant M.E. headed toward the dumpster.

"I hope he didn't tell you all the bad stuff." Matt was grinning. "No, Michael's a good guy. So what do you think about this?" He nodded in the direction of the dumpster as the three stood over it, Chuck remembering the mints and handing one to Matt.

"Crap! I forgot my cough drops. Gimme one, Chuck." The M.E.'s assistant popped the mint into his mouth. "When did you learn that trick?"

"About fifteen minutes ago when this guy showed up." Chuck poked Matt in the ribs.

"Oh boy, this is a mess. I'm gonna need a ladder." He looked back over the side of the dumpster. "Mmm. Well, the CSI folks are going to need first crack at this. I don't want to move the body until they get done with their pictures."

"Can you tell if we're dealing with a male or female?" Chuck had walked back over to the SUV with Matt and Mike.

The M.E.'s assistant shook his head. "No. Not yet."

They stood there waiting and finally a CSI van pulled up. As a tech got out, Chuck started in on him. "Well it's about time! We've been having to shoo the buzzards away you took so long." He shook hands with the man.

"Uh huh, give a man a promotion and he starts acting like a jerk. Congrats, Chuck. How's it goin', Mike?"

"Not good. Big mess. But the good news is you're letting me use your ladder." He grinned over at the CSI.

"Uh huh. I guess it'll be worth it to see you have to go inside that thing." He motioned to the dumpster and walked back over to remove a ladder from the top of the van. All five of the men went back to the container. "So who's the new guy?" He motioned to Matt.

"Aww, he ain't new he's pretty old." Chuck laughed. "His name's Matt Houston. We've been buddies since our tricycle days."

"Too bad you never learned how to ride a bike." Matt thumped him on the back of the head as everyone cracked up.

"So you're Houston, huh? Chris Eversong. Nice to meet ya." The pair shook hands. "Alright Mike, enjoy the scenery." He took several pictures of the scene, then watched as the M.E.'s assistant went up and over the side of the dumpster and all of the men heard a few choice words when he got inside.

"Thank God for coveralls and boots – and for the fact that this dumpster doesn't belong to the Chinese restaurant." They all snickered. "Okay, we've got a guy here. He's been sliced up pretty good." Mike climbed out and Chris Eversong climbed the ladder and went on inside. "Hey Chuck, would you do me a favor?"

"Uh, that depends on if I would have to come in there with you." He looked at Matt and winked.

"No, would you grab my phone out of the van and hit number six on the speed dial?" Chris stuck his head out of the dumpster. Chuck got back from the van and hit the number for the tech. "Hit the speaker, please." Chuck obliged and held the phone out toward him. The phone was answered and Chris told the person on the other end that the dumpster needed to be hauled to the forensics lab. After a couple of minutes, he was assured that someone was on the way to take care of it for him and Chuck hung up the phone. "Okay Mike, he's all yours."

"Guys, I'm gonna need some help here." He looked at Chris and Chuck. "There are gloves in the back of the van." Both men groaned as Mike Jimenez brought back the box containing nitrile gloves.

"Dang Mike, did you have to pick out purple ones?" Chuck griped as he pulled a couple out of the box.

Matt grabbed a pair. "Five kids and you're still not secure in your manhood, huh?"

"Shut up!" Chuck kneed Matt in the rear as all of the men chuckled. Mike and Chris went into the dumpster and Matt and Chuck stayed outside as the two men put what was left of the victim into a body bag then raised it up. The two childhood friends took the bag and gently laid it on the gurney, then gave Chris and Mike a hand getting out of the dumpster.

After removing their gloves, Matt and Chuck were headed back toward Chuck's SUV. Mike came over and shook Matt's hand again. "Houston, it was nice to meet you. And I don't believe half of what Littlebear said about you."

"I hope that's a good thing." The M.E.'s assistant left and took the body of the man to the morgue for an autopsy. "With the gang war you were talking about, that's probably gonna screw up your time on the autopsy for this guy, huh?"

Chuck nodded. "More than likely." He paused for a minute. "I sure appreciate you coming out here to help."

"Ah, no big deal. Besides, I get to make fun of the rookie." He grinned at the detective. "Are you about to head back to the office or what's the plan?"

"Yeah, Chris will do his thing here and then let me know what he gets. I was going to let you take a look at the files on the other three victims – if you don't mind."

"Not a problem. You do know that I have certain requirements, don't you?" Matt had a completely serious look on his face.

"Uh no, I don't think that was ever mentioned." He looked a little worried. "What would that be?"

"Coffee – lots of coffee." He slapped Chuck on the back as he walked back over to his truck.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

On his way to the Sheriff's Department, Matt hit CJ's number on speed dial and hit the speaker button as well. "Hey Babe, how's it going there?"

"Just fine. Marty called a few minutes ago. Tony found a calf that the others couldn't spot – because they were too tall." She had laughed pretty good over that one.

"Tell him I said good job. Look, I'm heading over to look at the files on the other three victims. The fourth one was sure a mess. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Do what you need to do, Hon, we're fine. Madre Rosa's fixing fajitas tonight – Tony asked for them. Evidently Vince has been raving about them since he was here."

"Well good. That'll make everybody happy. Tell him I said to save me some and give Catey a kiss for me. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, too Hon. Be careful."

"Yes ma'am. 'Bye." He hung up and thought back over what he had seen so far on the case. No witnesses, no video tape to help them out. This one was going to be a doozy. Matt pulled into the lot at the department and sat on his tailgate waiting for Chuck who showed up in a couple of minutes.

The detective got out of the SUV. "Somebody wants to meet you."

"Uh oh. Who would that be?" Matt followed Chuck into the lobby.

"The Sheriff." Chuck gave Matt a serious look.

"Uh huh. Do I get the feeling that someone would prefer that I wasn't around?" It wouldn't be the first time that Matt had met with resistance from a law enforcement official. He and Lt. Michael Hoyt of the LAPD had several go arounds before deciding that they made a good team.

"Not at all." A female voice got Matt's attention as a nice looking lady came around the front counter with her hand extended. "Francine Martinez, nice to meet you Mr. Houston. I'm the new sheriff." She gave him a big smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Matt was relieved. "Sometimes folks aren't too happy to see me." He grinned at the Sheriff.

"I'm going to be totally honest with you here, Mr. Houston: I wasn't so sure until I did some checking around. When Detective Wylie here first called me this morning wanting to know if he could bring you in to help us I was more than a little skeptical. But after talking to HPD and LAPD I'm glad you're here." Her expression changed slightly. "But Lt. Hoyt wanted you to explain the term "lightning rod"." Matt and Chuck both cracked up as Matt attempted to clarify the term for her.

"Uh huh. Okay, that fits with the other things that he told me." Sheriff Martinez smiled. "You guys see if you can figure this thing out. And Mr. Houston; thanks for helping us out here."

"You're welcome, but please just call me Houston." They shook hands again and Matt was issued a visitor's pass and followed Chuck back to his office. "Boy, you just about don't have enough room in here to cuss a cat without stepping on your lip."

"Tell me about it – but it's an office and it's MINE." Chuck pointed a finger at his chest.

"You oughta see mine." Matt snickered.

"Vince and Michael were telling me about it at the bachelor party. Hot tub, huh?" He sat down behind his desk and pulled a couple of folders out of the drawer.

"Yeah, but I think I'm going to get a cover to put over it. With Catey around now it would be a lot safer." He took the folder that his friend handed him and opened it up. "You're forgetting something."

"Oh, what's that?" The detective looked puzzled.

"Coffee." Matt grinned as he started reading through the file.

"Yes sir, Mr. Private Investigator, right away, sir." Chuck gave him a mock salute as he headed out to the outer office for coffee. When he got back, Matt was completely engrossed in the file as he handed him the cup.

Matt looked up as he took it. "Wow, real coffee cups. I'm impressed. I have to use foam cups at Hoyt's office." He grinned. "Thanks bud, I work better with caffeine." He pulled his notebook out of his back pocket and began taking notes again. "Have you checked N-DEx?"

"Uh no, uhhhh..." Chuck looked slightly embarrassed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're the new guy and you've got a ton of stuff being dropped on your head all at once." Houston looked up at him. "We've all gotta start somewhere, Chuck."

The new detective nodded. "I think I'm gonna have to have some help on this – obviously I've never been on the FBI website before." He left his office and came back a minute later with an older man who gave Matt a surprised look.

Chuck introduced the two. "Det. Sparks, this is Matt Houston. Houston, Detective Joe Sparks."

The older man smiled. "Aha, that's why you looked familiar. You played football, didn't you?"

"Yes sir." Matt shook the man's hand, somewhat puzzled.

"I used to work security at a lot of the high school football games. You had one hell of an arm. Why didn't you go pro?" He sat down in Chuck's chair behind the desk and pulled the keyboard over.

"Well sir, I went into the Army three weeks after I graduated college." Matt grinned.

"And now you're a private eye in Hollywood." He laughed and shook his head. "Chuck here tells a lot of stories about you."

"Chuck talks too much." Matt grinned up at his friend.

"Alright Sonny, here's how it's done." The older detective showed the younger man how to get into the system. "But you're going to need your own password and ID. Talk to the tech geeks about that, they'll get you hooked up." He stood up and started around the desk. "And make sure you log me out, hear?"

"I sure will, Joe. Thanks a lot." Chuck sat down and started inputting the information. Matt moved on to the second folder and continued to take notes. Both men were quiet for quite a while. As the new detective continued working with the website, Houston moved on to the third and final folder. He drained his coffee cup a short time later just as his friend hit a button to print out the information he had found.

Matt picked up the coffee cups and went for a refill while Chuck waited for the printer to finish spitting out the report. They sat back down in the tiny office and started going over what they had to work with. "According to what I've got here, there have been … a lot of cases like this. Actually, it came back with 439." He looked at Matt. "Obviously, they aren't all connected."

Matt just grinned. "Let me ask you something: victim number one was missing his heart, kidneys, and liver. Victim number two was missing heart and kidneys. Victim number three was missing her heart, kidneys, and liver." The pair sat there for a minute. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"Transplants?" Chuck nearly whispered the word.

"Uh huh, that's what it sounds like. You know you hear the tales about folks waking up in a bathtub full of ice with a note telling them to get to the hospital – they're missing a kidney?" Matt tapped the folders. "That's exactly what this sounds like – minus the bathtub full of ice." He didn't say anything for a minute. "You know, there's a black market for transplant organs. I think we need to go talk to the ME – from what I understand, they have to be removed a certain way or they can't be used." He watched his friend who appeared to be in shock. "Hey – you alright?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, but I think we better go talk to the sheriff first." He picked up the phone and called to see if they could get in to meet with her and were told to come on up. "Oh boy, my first big case and it's gotta be something this crazy."

Matt patted him on the shoulder. "Look at it this way: you're making a big splash right out of the starting gate."

When they got up to Sheriff Martinez's office the secretary told the pair to go right in. As they stepped through the door she was smiling at them. "Well that was pretty quick."

"It's not solved, but we think we know what's going on." Chuck looked at Matt.

"You're the official guy here, Chuck, go for it." Matt sat down in one of the chairs that the sheriff had pointed to and propped his left ankle on his right knee.

"Well, Houston and I think maybe it's got to do with black market organ transplants." Chuck looked at the sheriff and tried to gauge her reaction. She had been about to take a sip of water and stopped midway.

"You think it's what?" Martinez looked shocked.

"We think it's…" Chuck started in again.

"I heard you. I just…wow, really?" She was totally thrown off balance. "Explain, please."

Chuck told her about the missing organs of each of the victims. "Oh wow, yeah, that would make sense. Gees, what a mess." She sat and thought for a minute.

"We thought a talk with the ME might be in order. From what I understand, organs have to be harvested carefully, you know, the cuts have to be made just so." Matt had added that little part.

"Yeah, I would think so. Holy cow. Let me get the ME on the line." She told her secretary to put the call through. In a minute she picked up the phone and was speaking with the ME and told him the theory that Chuck and Houston had. "Hang on a minute, Doc." She punched the speaker. "Okay, they're here with me."

"I was saying that thought had occurred to me when I saw the last one. The first and second one were not harvested correctly – the cuts to the arteries, veins, and ureter were sloppy. The third one, however, could definitely have been used. The cuts were clean and precise." The ME stopped. "You hear urban legends about things like this, but they do actually happen. There have been documented cases in both India and Brazil. And I've heard rumors about Mexico. And something else: these people didn't die of natural causes – they were killed by the removal of the organs."

"Doc, since the first two were screwed up and the third was done correctly, do you think it was the same person doing all three, you know learning how to do it and their skills got better with each victim? Or do you think it was two different people?" Matt had leaned forward.

"In my opinion, it was two different people. The angle of the incisions on the first two victims appeared to be made by a left-handed individual whereas the incisions on the last victim appeared to be made by someone who was right-handed or at the very least, made an attempt for a more accurately straight incision. But my gut feeling is that it was two different people. It would take more than two attempts to cut as well as the last victim was cut."

"Were there any fingerprints found on the first three bodies?" Houston was thinking that if they could find one on the bodies that belong to the victim, they might find out who was responsible.

"As a matter of fact there were. They were sent to the forensics lab. I'm not sure if they've made any identifications on them – I've been busy down here cleaning up after a bunch of gang members who decided to kill each other." The ME sounded like it had been a long day and it wasn't anywhere near to being done.

"Doc, I hate to ask, but do you think it would be possible to…" The sheriff started speaking but was cut short by the doctor.

"Tell you what, I'll finish up the guy I'm working on now and then get your fourth victim taken care of. It's pretty obvious what killed the gang members." He sounded thoroughly disgusted.

"Thanks a lot; we really appreciate your help." After a couple more minutes, the sheriff hung up and looked at Chuck and Matt. "You two make a pretty good team. Are you sure wouldn't like a job Mr. Houston?"

"Yes ma'am. As I'm sure Lt. Hoyt told you this morning, I'm not always real good at playing by the rules." He grinned as he got to his feet.

"Well you can't blame a girl for trying." She looked over at Chuck. "I believe I made the right decision about you, Detective. Let me know when you've got something else."

As they headed back downstairs, Matt looked at his watch. "I don't see that we're going to get anything else accomplished until you get the forensics report and hear back from the ME."

"No, it doesn't seem that way. Houston - thanks again." The men shook hands.

"Well, I'm going to head to the house. Madre Rosa is fixing fajitas and I sure don't want to miss 'em. I'll holler at you in the morning." Matt headed on out to the truck and called CJ to let her know that he was on the way and made his way through the late afternoon traffic.

When Matt parked behind the house, Tony was waiting for him. "How did it go?"

"Well…" Matt got out of the truck and stretched. "I've got a feeling you had a better time this afternoon than I did. I heard about how you spotted the calf that the others couldn't find." He grinned down at the boy. "Maybe I should hire you on full time."

"I'm not sure Mom would agree with that, but it's fine with me." He walked up to the house with Matt and the two came in the back door to the wonderful aroma of Madre Rosa's beef fajitas.

"Madre Rosa that sure does smell good." Houston leaned over and gave the housekeeper a peck on the cheek just as CJ came through the door with Catey Rose. "Aha! There are my other two ladies." He gave CJ a big kiss and took Catey over to her high chair. "And what is this: somebody has a sippy cup." Leaning down in front of his daughter's face he looked into her eyes. "What's next? You'll be wanting to drive or go on a date I suppose." CJ cracked up as Catey leaned forward and gave her daddy a big sloppy kiss on the nose.

As they dug into their dinner, Tony was telling Houston all about his afternoon. Matt and CJ exchanged smiles. Tony had wanted to be a cowboy since the day he and Matt had met. Now he was finally getting his chance and proving that he had paid close attention to what Houston had been teaching him over the years about riding. After they got done, he and Matt walked down to talk to Marty and the other men.

"I tell you what Houston; that fella right there can ride with us any day. He's good to have around. And I ain't blowing smoke. That stinker right there has a good set of eyes on him." Ollie Burckhardt had truly been impressed by Tony. "And he listens a lot better than Pat does."

Pat feigned a hurt look. "Now how can you talk about me like that?" They all cracked up.

Tony and Matt climbed up on the fence and were paying attention to the horses when Matt's phone rang. "Uh oh, it's the old man." He looked over at Tony who just grinned. "Hey Vince, what's going on?" Matt put the phone on speaker.

"I just called to see how Tony's doing." Vince was slightly worried about his son working with the cowboys.

"You know we were just talking about that earlier. You don't think Isabella would care if he quit school and came to work for me down here, do ya?" Matt winked at the boy.

"Somehow I think she might have a small problem with that. Seriously though, is he behaving?"

"Vince, he really has been doing a good job. I got called away at dinner time and he went back out with the rest of the guys and did one heck of a job. I'm not kidding either." Matt was proud of the way Tony had handled himself.

"Really?" Vince couldn't believe his ears.

"Yep, tell you what; I'm gonna give him the phone and you two can jabber a while." Matt turned off the speaker and handed the phone to Tony and walked away so he and his dad could have a little privacy. CJ and Catey were up on the back deck in the swing and he went up to join them. A few minutes later Tony came up and handed the phone back to Matt.

"He wants to talk to you." He plopped down on the swing next to CJ and started playing with Catey.

"So how's the job going?" Matt walked away from the deck a little bit.

"It's going great. We're ahead of schedule again on this one. Look, I want to thank you. Tony and I talked about things and he said you were a good teacher. I owe you one, Ace."

"Nah, we were just two buddies having a chat, Vince. No big deal. He knew a good bit more than you would have thought, too." Matt chuckled. "He's a sharp kid. And I wasn't blowing smoke about how he did this afternoon. He impressed the hell out of Marty. I hated to leave, but Chuck called needing some help. He got promoted to detective two weeks ago and got landed with a pretty spectacular case." Houston told Vince what was going on.

"You hear about that kind of thing, but I always figured it didn't go on in this country. Guess I was wrong. That's just spooky. I hope you two figure out who it is – and quick. Tell Chuck I said congratulations by the way."

"I can do it." They talked on for a few minutes and then Matt hung up and went back up on the deck with the others. When he sat down on the swing, Catey wanted her dad. He took her off of CJ's hands and started playing with her. A while later, CJ took her in for a bath and Matt and Tony were left by themselves. "So, did you have a good time today?" Matt looked down at his buddy.

"Sure. I wish you had been here this afternoon, though." He looked a little disappointed.

"Bud, I wish I had been here, too. I'm sorry." Matt really did feel bad about it, but what was going on was extremely dangerous. "The case I'm helping Chuck with is really serious." He put his arm around the boy.

"I heard a little bit of the news earlier." Tony looked up at Matt. "Is it the people that they've been finding in the dumpsters?"

Houston nodded and looked down at the boy. "Yeah, it is."

"That's pretty sick stuff."

"I can't argue with you about that." Neither one talked for a few minutes. "Tony, I'm going to be gone again tomorrow."

"I know." The ten-year old pushed the swing and looked back up at Matt again. "You've got the same worried look on your face that Dad used to have when he came home from work when he was a cop."

Matt grinned. "Now I don't care if you're upset about me being gone this afternoon, pard; but that's just kinda mean." Both of them cracked up. "How about we go in and see what's on TV?"


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Matt rolled out of the bed at 6:00am Saturday morning, managing to hit the alarm before CJ woke up. He went and took a shower, then quietly got dressed before leaving her a note.

**MORNING BABE,**

**DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'LL BE GONE TODAY. **

**CALL YOU LATER.**

**LOVE,**

**MATT**

When he got downstairs to the kitchen, he was surprised to see Tony sitting at the table with Madre Rosa eating sausage biscuits. "Hey there, you're up early for a Saturday." He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"Don't we have work to do today?" Tony was grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, yeah, I guess the guys are gonna be working for a little while today. Are you sure you're not too sore?" He grinned at his bud.

"Nope. I'm ready to go."

"Well, I wish I was going to be out there with you today." He took a bite of biscuit and sat looking into his coffee cup.

"We were having a very interesting conversation before you came down." Madre Rosa looked like she was ready to burst into laughter.

"Oh, what about?" Matt took a big bite of biscuit.

"Our young friend here was wondering when you and CJ would be having another baby." She was smiling.

Matt choked on the biscuit, recovered and took a big gulp of coffee, burning his tongue in the process. He spluttered for a few seconds and then looked at Tony.

"Uh well, Tony, that uh…." He took another gulp of coffee and silently cursed himself. "Bud, the doctor suggested that we wait at least a year before…you know, she uh…gets pregnant again." He was about two shades of red.

"Oh." The boy seemed a little disappointed. Matt looked at Madre Rosa who was doing her best not to laugh.

"You know that's kinda rough on a lady. It takes a lot to carry a baby around for ten months and then deliver it."

"I thought it was nine months?" He gave Matt a look like he had made a mistake.

"Well ideally it's forty weeks, so that actually works out to ten months. But most of the time folks don't know they're pregnant for the first month." Why the question had shocked him so bad, he didn't know. He looked at his watch, grabbed another biscuit and headed for the door. "You mind the guys, ya hear? Be back as soon as I can." He took off out the door and slid behind the wheel of the truck. When he was about halfway to the sheriff's department, the private investigator started chuckling. The whole thing had been pretty funny after all.

He pulled into the parking lot right behind Chuck and the pair walked up the front steps together. Matt started laughing, while his friend gave him a questioning look. "Private joke or would you care to share?" Matt explained about the favor he had done for Vince and then told him about the conversation over breakfast that morning. By the time they made it to his office, Chuck was beet-red from laughing.

"Oh man, you gotta love kids. Gees! I would have loved to see the look on your face! Lover boy having to explain…" He fell out laughing again as Matt grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him into the office as other detectives in the outer office looked on in bewilderment. Once he had Chuck in the office, Matt stuck his head back out the door. "Don't worry; the meds should kick in any time now." With that he closed the door as Chuck threw an empty water bottle at him.

"Okay, now down to business. Have you got anything from the forensics folks?" Matt plopped down in the chair in front of Chuck's desk.

"Well I don't know, boss man, give me a chance to look…hello…and we have goodies from the forensics folks." He turned the computer so Matt could see the email that he had received two hours earlier. "Says here they got a match to…well that was not what I expected." He looked dumbfounded.

"Uh huh. Well that's certainly different. So victim number four was Jacob Lee Marcus. What does that say?"

"It says that the wonderful Mr. Marcus was a med student at Thorson University here in town until he got a drug charge. Uh huh." Chuck sat down.

"Med student, huh? I wonder how far he got in school – you know, did he get to the part where they learn a little bit of surgical skills? Because it makes you wonder if he's the one that screwed up on victims one and two. And maybe they were afraid he would talk so they made him victim number four?" Matt scratched at his moustache with his thumb. "I also wonder who they have doing the harvesting now: obviously somebody with considerably more skill than the first person." They sat there thinking for a minute and then Chuck went out to get coffee. When he came back in Matt hit him with another question. "I wonder if there are any doctors or med students missing?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out." He pulled the keyboard over and started in searching through missing persons reports. "And we have another winner. There is a Dr. Leon Hartford that was reported missing by his wife two days ago."

"And what kind of medicine does he practice?" Matt turned the chair so that he could see the monitor better.

"He is…a general surgeon." Chuck hit a few keys and looked up general surgery. "Yep, he would definitely be able to do the harvesting." He wrote down the name and address of Dr. Hartford's wife and the pair took off to have a talk with her. As he drove along, Chuck looked back at the address. "You know, for a doctor, this guy doesn't live in a swanky part of town. That's kind of unusual, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah it is. I wonder…" Matt reached down and picked up the laptop that he had brought with him and did a little more digging on Dr. Hartford. "And I believe I just found out why." He began reading the information to Chuck. "The good doctor seems to have been in a bit of trouble in the last few years. First there were lawsuits against him for negligence…yuck. He left a sponge and a pair of forceps in a guy. Ummm, not what you want to hear about so soon after breakfast. Let's see here, there was also a disciplinary hearing for him and he lost his privileges at three of the hospitals he was working out of…wouldn't you think he would be banned from all of them?" He looked over at Chuck who shrugged.

"I sure wouldn't go see him. So if he lost his privileges then he wasn't able to practice as much. That would explain where he lives. Hmmm. What a mess."

They pulled up outside the home a few minutes later. As they walked to the door it was opened by a woman in her mid-thirties. "Have you found my husband?"

Somewhat surprised, Chuck shook his head. "No ma'am." He showed his badge and introduced himself as well as Matt. "We have a few questions for you about your husband."

"Please come on in." She opened the door and led the way inside and then leaned against the door after she closed it. "I was hoping that you had found him. Please have a seat."

"We're working on another case and your husband's name came up." Chuck looked at Matt. Mrs. Hartford seemed like a nice lady and he really didn't want to cause her anymore stress.

"Mrs. Hartford, we understand that your husband had been having some difficulties in his practice." Matt sat down on the couch.

She nodded, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I'm not really sure what started the whole thing. Leon is a good man, Mr. Houston. But he has a drinking problem. He had been drinking the day that he made the mistake in the surgery. I'm sure you've already heard about that." Matt nodded and she continued. "That was the first time that he had ever made a mistake like that. But it was a serious mistake and he was disciplined by the Medical Board for it. He lost his privileges at some of the hospitals where he practiced. His practice started going down the tubes – which in turn made him drink even more."

"Yes ma'am, I can see how it would. I'm sure you've already been asked this question, but do you have any idea where he might have gone or if he might be staying with anyone?" Chuck had sat down next to Matt on the couch.

"Yes, the police already asked and I told them that I don't know. Leon used to have a lot of friends, but when he got in trouble, they all seemed to just disappear. None of them want to be connected to him in any way – it might make them look bad. And in the medical game, reputation is everything." She picked up a pillow that was in the chair next to her and started separating the tassel on it. "He felt like an outcast – and really, that's what he became."

"Mrs. Hartford, had your husband ever done any work with organ transplantation?" Matt leaned forward with his knees on his elbows.

Elise Hartford nodded. "Back when he first got out of med school that was his dream. But the reality is that in order to be a great transplant surgeon, you pretty well have to have a mentor. It's not an easy area to get into. And really it doesn't make any sense, you know? As many people as there are out there that need transplants, there aren't nearly enough surgeons to go around. And those that are out there, well, let's just say they don't want some young up and comer to get a foothold in their arena. There's a lot of competition in the medical game and transplants are one of the toughest games going. The closest he came to doing a transplant was harvesting organs from donors."

Matt and Chuck exchanged a glance. "Mrs. Hartford, we think that's what he may be doing now – but not legally." Matt almost hated to tell her.

"Not legally? I'm not sure what you mean."

"I don't know if you've paid attention to the news in the last week or so, but we've been finding bodies that are missing certain organs – heart, liver, kidneys for example. The organs of the last victim had been removed by someone with a good deal of skill. We think that your husband may have possibly done it."

The woman sat there with a stunned look on her face. "Are you saying that you think that my husband murdered these people?"

"We're saying that it's a possibility. His disappearance seems entirely too coincidental." Chuck actually felt sorry for the woman.

"My husband wouldn't do that, Detective. He's not a murderer." Her voice shook with the anger that the two men could see burning in her eyes. "Get out. Right now." She pointed to the front door.

Matt and Chuck stood up and headed for the door. As he stopped with his hand on the doorknob, Houston turned back around to the woman. "Ma'am, it's a possibility that he's not doing this willingly. He could have been abducted."

"I don't care. Get out. I don't want to hear another word about it." She stood and pointed at the door once again and Matt opened it and headed on down the steps. As they walked to the SUV, Chuck looked over at Matt.

"You know, I hadn't thought about that – that he might have been abducted." He got in and put the key in the ignition. "It is possible."

Matt nodded. "It is – or he could have just gone rogue and decided to do it all by himself."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Once they were back at the station, the two detectives sat down in Chuck's office. "They would need a place to operate to remove the organs." Matt plopped down in the chair across from his friend.

"Yep." The new detective leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"And somebody is getting these organs. We need to look at folks who have been on the transplant lists but suddenly removed themselves." Matt sat up in the chair when the thought went through his mind. "What hospital in the area does the most transplant surgeries?"

Chuck pulled out his keyboard and started looking at the information available on the internet. "St. Charles, Baylor, and Methodist are the top three."

"Do you know anybody that works at any of them?"

"No. You?"

"Nope, but we're about to." He stood up as did Chuck and the pair left the station once again, this time headed to St. Charles. When they arrived at the medical center, Chuck first spoke with a receptionist in the lobby who called down one of the administrators.

"May I help you?" Margaret Tipton arrived five minutes later looking slightly puzzled.

"Yes ma'am, I sure hope so." Chuck flashed his badge and made the introductions. "We were wondering if you could give us some information about folks on your transplant list. Actually, it would be about someone who might have recently asked to be removed suddenly."

"I'm not sure I understand." Matt explained what they thought might have been happening. "Oh my Lord. That's ….that's not good. I think we better go up to my office." They followed her onto the elevator and as it headed up toward the fifteenth floor Matt's phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket.

"Oh boy." He grinned and showed the picture that CJ had sent him to Chuck. "Tony got to deliver his first calf." The picture showed the ten year old with a newborn calf in his lap and one of the biggest smiles either man could ever remember seeing. Ms. Tipton had looked at the screen on the phone as well.

"Is that your son?" She smiled at Matt.

"No ma'am – kind of a nephew." He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Houston, I'm sorry you missed that." Chuck felt bad that Matt hadn't been able to be with Tony for the big moment.

"Aww, that's okay. I'm sure there will be plenty more. And I know he's going to tell me all about it when I get home."

"Houston. Would you be Bill Houston's son by chance?" Ms. Tipton gave Matt a questioning look.

"Yes ma'am."

"You know he was a major contributor here. Such a sweet man." She gave Matt a sad smile.

"Yes ma'am, he was good guy. The best." Matt had been proud to call Bill his dad.

Chuck nodded in agreement. "Yep, he was a good one. Remember the time we got caught sneaking in when I was spending the night with you when my folks were out of town? That was right after we won the state championships." The two men laughed.

"Yeah, I thought sure he was gonna tan my hide over that." Matt chuckled.

"So you two have known each other for quite a while?" Ms. Tipton couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes ma'am. We've been friends since we were five years old. Met on the first day of kindergarten – and have been getting in trouble together ever since." Houston looked over at Chuck and they both cracked up again.

"Well it's wonderful that you two are able to work together. You said Mr. Houston is a consultant to the department – what exactly does that mean?" Chuck explained that Matt was a private investigator who often got called in to help on cases. "And you live in Los Angeles?"

"Yes ma'am. I've still got my dad's place down here. We recently started running cattle on it again. That's why I'm in town right now." They stepped off of the elevator and started down the hallway and went into a fairly large office.

Ms. Tipton opened up the laptop on her desk and accessed the transplant list. "Alright, let's take a look and compare the list to …how far back should I be looking?"

"Maybe the last week?" Chuck looked at Matt.

"I'd say that would be a good place to start." He and Chuck had sat down across the desk from the administrator.

"Hmmm…Charles Weatherly…no, he passed away. Marsha Shockley…bless her heart, no she passed away as well…Richard Turner…hmmm…there wasn't any reason given…" She picked up her phone and dialed an extension. "Hi Heather, it's Margie. I've got a question for you: why was Richard Turner removed from the kidney list?" Tipton looked at Chuck. "Uh huh…that's what I'm seeing…do you have an address for him handy?" She began writing on a sticky note. "Right, got it. Look, do you know of anyone else who suddenly asked to be removed from any of the transplant lists?" A shocked look crossed her face. "Really? Do you mind making a list and bringing it up to my office? Yes, as soon as possible. Thanks." She hung up. "There have been three others who suddenly removed themselves."

Chuck and Matt grimly nodded. "Ma'am, do you know of any place where the transplants could be done – other than a hospital?" Matt had his leg propped on his knee.

"Obviously it would need to be done in a sterile environment…a clinic perhaps?" Ms. Tipton swiveled in her chair absent mindedly. "You do hear rumors in this line of work about clinics in Mexico, Brazil, even India, where people go for things like this, but I'm not really sure where they are. The term "medical tourism" comes to mind."

Matt nodded. Chuck watched him and could see the gears clicking in his mind. "I wonder how a person would go about getting hooked up with a black market kidney?"

Chuck shook his head. "That's a good question. I doubt if they run an ad in the classifieds." Neither man said anything for a minute, then they slowly looked at each other.

"But what if they did?" Matt turned in his chair to face his friend. "Say there was somebody looking for a kidney – what if they did run an ad? That might draw out the folks that we're looking for…" He let the thought hang in the air. "Ms. Tipton, could I borrow your computer for a minute?"

"Oh, of course." She got out of her desk chair and Matt went around the desk and pulled up a web browser. He typed in "organ transplant list" and was surprised at what he found.

"Well it looks like it's easier than we thought." He turned the computer so that the other two could see. There on the page were three listings for groups that offered to match up those in need of a kidney with donors.

"Wow. Okay. Well, I don't guess that's illegal in itself but if our suspect is killing people by harvesting organs…that's a whole other kettle of fish." Chuck looked at Matt. "But it is illegal to receive money for an organ. You know, selling one of your kidneys or something."

"Yes, it most certainly is against the law." Ms. Tipton walked back around her desk as Matt moved away and strode over to the window.

"No offense Ms. Tipton, but could someone on staff here be doing just that?" Matt turned to look at her. "Of course there are other hospitals in the city that do transplants. But these transplants aren't being done in a hospital – or at least not one in this country."

"I seriously doubt if any of our people are doing that, Mr. Houston." She sat back down in her chair just as there was a knock on the office door. "Come in."

A young woman in a white lab coat came in, looking somewhat surprised to see the two men there. "Heather thanks for bringing this up so quickly. I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone about this."

"Okay, I um…" She looked at Chuck and Matt. Ms. Tipton introduced them and Heather nodded. "Okay, I just wondered what was going on. I'll keep mum on it." She walked back out the door as Tipton got up and made a copy of the list and gave it to Chuck.

"I realize you have a job to do, Detective, but please be careful not to put suspicion on our people here."

"Yes ma'am, we'll be sure to try to keep you out of it." He thanked her for the information and the two detectives left and headed back down to the parking lot. As they got into the SUV and Chuck started the engine, he asked Matt, "So what do you think?"

"I think one of us is about to place an ad for a kidney." Matt pulled out the laptop again and started looking through the matching services. "These seem to be on the up-and-up." He looked out the window as he thought. "Hmmm, I wonder…" He started typing again. "Bingo. Claude'sList. First I'll get a fake email address…" Matt hit more keys on the computer and in a couple of minutes he was done getting the address. "Now to go on Claude'sList and make an account." He did that. "And now the ad." Matt typed for a couple of minutes and then closed the laptop.

"All done there, Mr. Cybercrime?" Chuck started laughing.

Matt's phone rang. "Aha. Hello?" He answered the phone. "Yes I did." Hitting the speaker button, Matt elbowed Chuck in the ribs. "Uh huh."

"I just saw your ad on Claude'sList. Is this kidney for you or someone else?" The voice on the other end of the line was that of a younger man.

"A family member." Matt looked at Chuck and shrugged.

"Do you know the blood type?"

"AB negative."

"Oh, that could be a problem. I'll have to get back to you then." The person hung up.

"Think you can run a trace on a number?" Matt looked at Chuck and grinned.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"281-625-9817." Matt rattled off the phone number to Chuck, who was tracking it down.

"It's a land line in the Seabrook area - 1385 Hardesty Avenue to be exact." Chuck jotted down the address.

"Who does it belong to?" Matt was tapping on the leather upper of his boot that was resting on his right knee.

"Oscar Mendoza, age 27, hmm…" He stopped speaking as he read more on the man. "Seems that Mr. Mendoza has had a few run-ins with the law. Drunk and disorderly, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession, possession with intent… this guy is just a fine upstanding citizen." He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of coffee.

"Of course just because he called about the ad, that doesn't necessarily make him our suspect." Matt picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink out of it. "It would be nice to keep an eye on him – see the traffic going in and out of there."

"Yeah, it could be very interesting. I think I'll see what I can do about that." He picked up the phone and called up to the sheriff's office and let her know what they had found out and the lead that they had. When he hung up, he was wearing a very large smile.

"Somebody sure looks happy." Matt cocked his head and looked at his friend.

"That's because someone else will be doing the surveillance – and I can leave and go to number one son's football game this afternoon." Chuck stood up and stretched.

"Congrats, pal." Matt stood and headed for the door. "Guess I'm going to go see what kind of trouble I can get into on the ranch. See ya!" He headed on out the door, followed by Chuck.

"Don't get into too much trouble – I might have to arrest you."

"You just try it, buddy." Matt made like he was going to punch the detective and they both cracked up.

"Have fun, Houston. And thanks a lot." They parted ways in the parking lot and Matt hit CJ's number on speed dial as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Hi there. Do you mind if I come home?"

"Of course not. What's going on?" Matt brought her up to date on the case. "Sounds like you two are doing pretty good. See you when you get here. Love you, hon."

"Love you, too, Babe. 'Bye." He hung up and made his way back to the ranch. When he parked behind the house Tony walked out to greet him, telling him all about the calf that he had helped to deliver that morning. "I guess I'm just going to have to have a talk with your folks, Tony. Obviously you need to be working here full time." He ruffled the boy's hair.

"Not yet. I've got to get through with school and become a private investigator first." He smiled up at his hero, who was on his way into the kitchen for some lunch.

As Matt rooted around in the refrigerator, CJ came into the kitchen and swatted him on the backside with a towel, sending Tony into a fit of the giggles. He looked at her over the top of the door. "What was that for?"

"Just 'cause." She came over and pulled him into a hug and kiss, causing Tony to make a face and walk out the kitchen door onto the back deck. After a rather lengthy kiss, he turned back to the fridge. "Is that all you can think about – food?" She gave a mock pout.

"Well, with a short person around right now," he pointed to Tony out on the deck, "I might as well find me some lunch and save the other for later." He wiggled his eyebrows at his wife, who popped him on the backside again as he dove back into the fridge and came back out with a bowl of chili. After he popped it in the microwave he pulled her over to him and kissed her. "So is Miss Catey Rose napping?"

CJ nodded. "She's been a busy girl this morning. And she's got a trick to show you after she wakes up, too." She grinned.

"Oh, what's that?" He caressed her face with his thumbs.

"I can't tell you. She swore me to secrecy." CJ laughed. "But I can tell you, you will definitely be impressed."

The microwave beeped and Matt pulled out the bowl of chili, found a spoon, and dug into it. "So what have you got planned for the rest of the day?" He managed to get the question out around a mouthful of chili and CJ pulled a paper towel off the roll and wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Nothing. You?" She leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Nada." He thought as he spooned more chili into his mouth. "We could take Tony fishing – and Miss Catey Rose."

"I don't think she ought to be down by the river Matt – all of the mosquitoes?"

"Um, yeah. Didn't think about that." He spooned more chili into his mouth.

"Why don't you boys go on without us? You haven't been able to spend much time with him since we've been here."

"Are you sure?" He finished off the chili, rinsed the bowl in the sink and put it in the dishwasher.

"Yep." She reached up and wiped the corner of his mouth again before kissing him. "You know, you could take him out in the boat."

Matt grinned. "We'll have to see if it will even run. I haven't had it out in a long time." The boat that CJ was talking about had been given to Matt by his father when he was twelve years old. He and CJ had spent many a night out fishing on the river as kids. "I love you, Babe." Matt pulled her closer and kissed her again. "Rest up while I'm gone." He gave her a squeeze.

"By the way, there are eight buckets of night crawlers in that cooler over there – and several sandwiches and drinks." CJ grinned. She knew Matt was going to suggest a fishing trip.

"You think you know me pretty well, don't you?" He kissed her again. "And you do." He picked up the cooler and walked out the door. "Come on, Bud."

"Where are we going?" Tony fell in step with his pal.

"Somewhere you've never been before – and you're gonna have a great time." They loaded the cooler in the back of the truck and headed out for the river. When they got there, Matt pointed to the boat. "There she is."

"Cool! I didn't know you had a boat." Tony stepped on board and took the cooler from Matt.

"Yep, Daddy gave it to me when I was twelve. CJ and I spent a lot of nights out fishing on this old boat." After a couple of minutes of tinkering, the boat cranked right up and the pair took off toward the mouth of the river.

About 1:00am, CJ heard Matt coming in the kitchen door. She had been waiting for him in the den. As she got to the doorway, she spied Matt carrying a sleeping Tony in his arms. He grinned as he took the boy upstairs and put him to bed. After removing his shoes and covering him up, Matt walked back out into the hall and closed the door. "He had a blast. We were out there about an hour when he hooked up with a big one – and I mean BIG." He laughed. "You should have seen his face." They walked to Catey's room and checked on her, Matt going over and giving her a kiss on the cheek. When he stepped back out of the nursery he picked CJ up and carried her to the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Over a breakfast of omelets and biscuits, Matt and CJ along with Tony and Catey talked about the fishing trip the night before. "I thought the fish was gonna pull him into the river. Just imagine the conversation I would be having with Vince right now." Matt grinned over at Tony who was looking extremely pleased with himself.

After breakfast, Matt picked up Catey and took her into the den. "So what is this trick you've got to show me, Whistle Britches?" He was lying in the floor with her. Suddenly she raised up on her hands and knees and crawled over to the coffee table, then pulled herself up to stand and looked back around at Matt. "Wow! Way to go, Catey!" He couldn't believe that she had managed to do all that. "I didn't know they could stand at that age."

CJ stood in the doorway grinning. "I told you it was impressive." She came in and got down in the floor with the pair. "So what have you got going today?"

"Well, I haven't heard anything from Chuck so I guess nothing. How about you?" Matt let out an "OOMPH!" as his daughter crawled back over, pulled herself back up and then suddenly sat down on his belly. The two exchanged a look and the baby started giggling. He picked her up and she giggled even louder. Then Matt's phone began to ring. He closed his eyes and then looked over at CJ as he answered it. "Yeah, Chuck."

"There's been some movement at Mendoza's house. The surveillance team heard raised voices a couple of times already this morning. They said it sounded like two men. Mendoza left and we have another unit following him." Chuck was sitting in his office with a cup of coffee.

"I wonder if a trip to Mendoza's house while he's gone would be productive?" Matt had sat up and Catey was pulling on his right ear.

"That's what I was wondering. Want to go along?"

"Sure, I'll just meet you there – it would be quicker. See ya in a few." He hung up and looked at CJ. "I've got a feeling we're getting close on this one." He got out of the floor and handed Catey over to his wife. "Love you, Babe." Leaning over to kiss her, Matt was pulled down by the ears by his daughter who decided that he needed a slobbery kiss on the chin as well as the kiss that her mom gave him. "Hmmm, might need a shower after that one." He pulled up the tail of his t-shirt and wiped his chin, then headed over to the gun case and pulled out a Glock and a couple of magazines just as Tony walked in.

"Are you leaving?" He looked disappointed.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so, but I'm hoping it won't be for long." He pointed to his wife and daughter and Tony. "You three figure out what you want to do and I'll do my best to get back here quick." Patting Tony on the head, Matt headed on out the back door and slid behind the wheel of his truck and headed for Hardesty Avenue. When he arrived, Chuck was already there along with a couple of deputies. They were parked just a little way down the street and had been keeping an eye on the house. "Anything else happen?"

"Nope." Chuck and Matt got in his SUV and moved it down in front of Mendoza's house.

"What about Mendoza? Where did he go?" Matt pulled out his Glock and checked the load once again.

"Nowhere really. He's been driving around downtown." He looked over at Matt

"Kinda makes you wonder if he's hunting. But finding someone with the right blood type would be a shot in the dark, wouldn't it?" They sat there for a minute watching. "But you know - you can get those little blood typing kits on the internet – less than ten bucks a pop. And there's no telling how much this guy is making off of this deal."

"Let's go see what's what here." Chuck got out of the SUV followed by Matt and the deputies. Chuck signaled for the other two men to watch the back while he and Matt took the front. As he started up the walk, the first thing that went through Matt's mind was that he hadn't brought his bullet proof vest with him to Texas. _I'll just have to be extra careful._

Chuck stood to the side of the door, as did Matt, and knocked. "Sherriff's Department." There was no answer. He knocked again with still no answer.

Matt had a thought: "Dr. Hartford, if you're in there let us know. We're here to help you." He looked at Chuck who nodded and then they heard the lock on the door rattle and it opened a crack.

"How did you know I was here?" The man peered out the door.

"Sir, will you let us in?" Chuck couldn't believe it had actually worked but was extremely glad that it had. The man opened the door.

"I don't know when he'll be back. I can't leave." He pointed down to his ankle where a chain was wrapped and padlocked. It was connected to an iron ring that was bolted into the wall. There was just enough chain for him to reach the door.

"Well that was one mistake that he made." Matt grinned as he pulled a set of lock picks from his back pocket. "Look the other way, Chuck." He smiled at his friend.

"Doc, until we know a little more about what's going on here, I'm going to have to put you in cuffs." The detective walked around behind the man and popped a pair of handcuffs on him before walking to the back door and telling the deputies to move the vehicles off of the street so that it wouldn't give them away when Mendoza came back. They parked them in the garage behind the house. When he got back into the living room, Matt already had Dr. Hartford talking.

"I've been having some problems with my practice." He looked up at Matt who nodded.

"We talked to your wife – she said you had an alcohol problem. And we know about the lawsuits. The question is: how did you get hooked up with Mendoza?" Matt was sitting on the couch across from the disheveled doctor.

"He approached me when I was at the grocery. Said he knew that I was having some problems but he knew where I could work without having to deal with any of that. Naturally, I wanted to know more. So I followed him to an old meatpacking plant downtown. We were talking in the office and the next thing I knew I woke up here – chained. He told me if I didn't do what he wanted he would kill me and my wife. He had a picture of her in front of our house." Hartford looked down at his hands. "You know the Hippocratic oath – first do no harm? Well, that flew right out the window."

Chuck was peering out through the curtains but looked back over at Hartford. "How many have you done so far?"

"Two. They had a boy here – he was in med school. He had tried to harvest organs from a couple of people but botched the job. So they brought me in to teach him – but he just didn't have the skill. He was the second one that I had to do." The doctor was near tears. "I didn't want to do it. But he was going to kill my wife. I don't even care about myself anymore – but she hasn't done anything wrong. I was only doing it to protect her."

Just then there was the sound of a car door and Chuck peeked back out. "It's him." He whispered to Matt. "Get where he can't see you." Chuck stood behind the door as Mendoza unlocked the door and led another man inside.

"Hold it right there, Mendoza." Chuck had his gun pointed at the man and Matt came out of the hallway with his gun pointed at him. "Down on the floor."

The look of surprise on Mendoza's face was priceless. He did as he was told as did the other man. "I didn't do anything wrong." The young man who had come in with Mendoza looked scared enough to pee his pants.

"What's your name?" Chuck put the cuffs on Mendoza as one of the deputies cuffed the other man.

"Charlie Whiting. Look, he told me I could make some money selling my blood plasma. That's all I was doing."

"For right now you're being detained Mr. Whiting. At least until we sort all of this out. One of you boys take Mendoza out and put him in the back of your car would you? Houston, take the doc there back to the kitchen and y'all continue your talk. I'm going to have a chat with Mr. Whiting here."

Matt led the doctor back into the kitchen at the back of the house and pulled out a chair for him at the table. "So you did the last two victims." Hartford nodded with tears in his eyes. "Do you know if Mendoza was working with anyone else or was it just him?"

"As far as I know it was just him. I never saw anyone else or heard him talking to anyone – except for people who were evidently looking to have transplants. I don't know how they found him."

"Probably the same way we did – Claude'sList." Matt looked at the man whose career as a doctor was over. He got up and walked to the door of the kitchen. "Hey Chuck, do you mind if he calls his wife?"

"No, go ahead. This guy doesn't know diddly but I'm going to take him in and get a statement from him. I've called for another car – gonna keep 'em separated just to be on the safe side."

Matt went back in the kitchen. "What's the number?" He pulled out his phone and dialed for Hartford, hit the speaker button and put the phone on the table and stood there listening as the man got to talk to his wife for the first time in few days. After his wife reassured him that she would get him a lawyer, Matt led him through the house and out to a waiting patrol car. As he started to get in, Hartford stopped and looked at Matt.

"Thanks for the phone call. You have no idea what it meant to me."

"Yeah, I think I do." He helped the doctor get into the back seat and watched as the patrol car rolled away.

"Chuck, do you need me?" Matt had walked over to his friend's SUV and was leaning on the fender.

"Not right now necessarily – but I'll need you to come in and make a statement for the report. But that can happen tomorrow."

"Good. I'm going home. There are three folks waiting on me." He grinned at his friend and headed off for his truck as Chuck shook his head and watched him go. Out of all of the people that he had grown up with, Matt wouldn't have been the one to be such a family man, but he was.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

When he got back home, CJ and Tony had decided that a picnic was in order, so they saddled up three horses and headed out to a spot that Matt and CJ used to camp at as kids. Catey rode with her daddy and Tony was impressed by how much she seemed to love the horses. She sat on the saddle in front of Matt who had an arm wrapped around her belly as they rode. Once they got there, Matt and Tony played football while CJ and Catey played on a blanket with some soft blocks that her mom had brought.

After eating a meal of fried chicken and apple pie, the four rode back to the house, Catey asleep on Matt's shoulder. He handed the sleepy baby to his wife before getting off of his horse. She carried their daughter up to the house as he and Tony tended to the horses.

As Matt pulled off the saddles and blankets, Tony began rubbing down the horses and then they both brushed them. The boy looked over at Matt. "So you and Chuck got the bad guys, huh?"

"Yeah. Only one of them wasn't exactly a bad guy. He didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. I don't know what's going to happen to him." Houston looked a little troubled over the whole deal.

"It's kind of spooky to think that there are people like that out there who do stuff like that." Tony stopped brushing the horse and watched his uncle.

Matt nodded. "Yep." He didn't really want to talk to Tony about what had happened. He was already growing up so fast that Matt hated for him to even be thinking about the case. He changed the subject. "Have you talked to your dad today? You oughta tell him about that biggun you hooked up with last night." He grinned over at his buddy and handed him his phone. Tony took it and dialed his dad's number and the two talked for several minutes before the boy handed the phone back to Matt.

"He wants to talk to you." Tony led the horse that he had been brushing back out to the pasture and was setting him loose as Matt watched.

"Hey Vince."

"Hey yourself. Did you catch that whacko yet?"

"Yeah, we got him this morning as a matter of fact." He told Vince about it, then quickly changed the subject as Tony walked up. "So what do you think about your boy hooking up with a big ole catfish last night?"

"I think he'll want to go fishing more when he gets home. But then that would take away from his surfing time, so I don't know." They both laughed.

Later on that evening as Matt and CJ sat on the swing with Catey and watched as Tony rode one of the horses around the pasture, CJ asked Matt about what had happened. When he told her about Dr. Hartford basically being held prisoner and doing the harvesting under the threat of his wife being killed she shook her head.

"I've gotta go down in the morning and give Chuck a statement so I'll be gone for a little while. I doubt it will take too long." He put his arm around CJ as Catey began jabbering and pointing at Tony. "You know, I believe this little lady here is going to be quite the horsewoman before it's all said and done."

"She sure does seem to love them. Of course she's got her daddy to thank for that." Catey looked up at CJ as the pair shared a kiss.


End file.
